On highway transport trucks and trailers there are wheels that are bolted in place. There have been truck and trailer wheels and wheel assemblies accidentally detaching from the moving vehicle. Once detached the wheels or assemblies will travel unrestricted causing property damage, injury or death.
The wheel nuts holding the wheels on the hubs of the vehicles are subject to stress and vibration which tends to loosen the nuts which in turn increases the risk that the wheel assembly may detach from the moving vehicle. There is thus required a means of positively locking the wheel nuts in place which accounts for the normal stresses exerted upon the nuts. Further, a means of locking the nuts which provides the vehicle operator with a means to check that the nuts have not substantially loosened or cracked would be beneficial in the day-to-day operation of such vehicles.
Attempts in the prior art to solve these problems have thus far proven unsuccessful or incomplete. For example, the applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,597 of Rolf, issued Jan. 15, 1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 1,002,452 of Rickards, issued Sep. 5, 1911 which each describe a nut locking or attaching assembly. However, neither reference teaches a means of positively locking the wheel nut in more than one location so as to provide a positive lock which will resist the stresses and vibrations exerted upon the nut. Further, neither reference provides a means for the vehicle operator to quickly check the locking assemblies to ensure that the nuts have not loosened at all.
Also of general background interest are: U.S. Pat. No. 1,241,181 of Wilhelm, issued Sep. 25, 1917; U.S. Pat. No. 1,567,653 of Kohn, issued Aug. 27, 1923; U.S. Pat. No. 2,101,678 of Herschmann, issued Dec. 7, 1937; U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,732 of Moebius, issued Aug. 7, 1973; U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,300 of McCauley, issued Dec. 10, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,614, issued Apr. 27, 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,616, issued Apr. 27, 1993, both of Wright; U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,070 of FitzGerald, issued Jan. 10, 1995; Canadian Patent 64,057 of Larew, issued Sep. 27, 1899; Canadian Patent 94,433 of McComb, issued Jul. 24, 1905; Canadian Patent 113,767 of Parker, issued Aug. 25, 1908; Canadian Patent 277,098 of Brown, issued Jan. 17, 1928; Canadian Patent 277,290 of McCutcheon, issued Jan. 24, 1928; Canadian Patent 412,341 of Jones, issued May 11, 1943; Canadian Patent 494,970 of Koza, issued Aug. 4, 1953; Canadian Patent 697,314 of Perry, issued Nov. 10, 1964; and Canadian Patent 753,086 of Simmonds et al., issued Feb. 21, 1967.